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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27188138">Maiko Week 2020</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablebureaucracy/pseuds/ineffablebureaucracy'>ineffablebureaucracy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Maiko Week 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:56:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27188138</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablebureaucracy/pseuds/ineffablebureaucracy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one shots published for Maiko Week 2020!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Maiko (Avatar) - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fall Maiko Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Banished (Day 1- Childhood)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Word Count: 1,275 words</p>
<p>Description: Zuko has been banished from the Fire Nation, and Mai is struggling to come to terms with it. She decides to go see the Prince, not wanting him to get away before she can speak with him again.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Banished.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mai hadn’t quite known how to feel when she first heard that Zuko had been banished. It wasn’t something she was used to, this sort of sadness. But it wasn’t as if she could actually <em>do</em> or <em>say</em> anything. Her parents expected her to behave perfectly at all times. What could she even do in such a position? She didn’t think her parents would let her try to see Zuko again, much less <em>say goodbye</em> to him.</p>
<p>It felt cruel, to her. He was only thirteen, wasn’t he? And yet he was being sent away from his home, and his family, and… Mai felt like she was angry enough to walk right up to the Fire Lord himself and tell him how she felt about all of this.</p>
<p>Not that it would matter. Fire Lord Ozai would never care if she was alright with what he’d decided or not. And why should he? She was just a nobleman’s daughter. One who happened to be close to the Prince and Princess, but that wouldn’t be enough to sway the Fire Lord. She doubted anything would be enough to sway him on this matter.</p>
<p>So, with nothing to be done to <em>stop</em> the banishment, Mai realized there was no recourse to this. Zuko <em>would</em> leave the Fire Nation, and she may never see him again.</p>
<p>It was these thoughts that kept her up the night she’d received the news, sitting on the side of her bed and kicking her legs a little in the air. There was a slight frown on her lips, and her brows were creased in an upset sort of way. The girl picked up her head and looked out the window of her room, up at the moon.</p>
<p>No- she <em>would</em> see him again. Her parents may not approve of her finding a way to see him before he was gone, not the Prince who was to be banished, when seeing him before his departure would mean trespassing in the palace. She couldn’t just let him go though, could she?</p>
<p>Mai got up from her bed and climbed out her window. After the Agni Kai Zuko had fought, she imagined he’d be in the healing wing of the palace, so that was where she set out to sneak off to.</p>
<p>In the night, it wasn’t difficult for Mai to do. The guards who were out were easily snuck around, and the number of guards was lower than those out during the day. All in all, this made her task relatively simple.</p>
<p>Within an hour or so, Mai was climbing through one of the windows of the palace, close enough to the healing wing to be able to find Zuko before being spotted.</p>
<p>When she pushed the door open, she was dismayed to find Zuko wasn’t alone, even if she was glad it was no one like Ozai. (Then again, why would he be sitting with his son who he was sending away? It wouldn’t have made sense for Ozai to have been there.)</p>
<p>It was actually General Iroh she found, sitting at his nephew’s side. He looked up when the door opened, and sent her a small, sad smile. He must have known why she was there, because he waved her over silently. Mai closed the door just as silently, and started over to where Iroh was sitting beside Zuko.</p>
<p>When she reached the older man and his nephew, she popped up onto her toes to look down at Zuko, frowning at the sight of the large bandage over his left eye. Was that…?</p>
<p>“Did his father do that?” she asked Iroh quietly, and the older man hummed, bowing his head slightly. It was the only answer she needed.</p>
<p>Mai noticed the way Zuko’s hair had been shaved from his head. It must have been done to shame him before his banishment- any shaving done to facilitate healing would have only been necessary to the extent of the burn. This was more than that.</p>
<p>Iroh put a quiet hand on her shoulder, understanding exactly why she had come, and stood, moving out of the room without a sound. Once he was gone, Mai came to stand right next to the bed, her eyes sad, though no other sign of her distress was evident.</p>
<p>“Zuko?” she whispered, looking down at his face. He didn’t budge, didn’t so much as open an eye. If not for his breathing, Mai could even believe him to be…</p>
<p>Well, she thought it best not to think of such things.</p>
<p>“Zuko, wake up,” she tried again, and this time moved to shake him gently. He had to wake up. She couldn’t go home without speaking to him.</p>
<p>The young Prince groaned quietly as he began to regain his consciousness, and Mai pulled her hand back, keeping an anxious eye on him. When his eyes met hers- or, rather, his <em>eye</em>- he blinked in surprise, before sitting up a bit.</p>
<p>“Mai?” he asked quietly. His brows creased, confusion on his face as he regarded the girl. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“I heard you were banished,” she told him, in the same flat voice she often used. He frowned a little as he realized this was why she had come, not because she was Azula’s friend who came to see the burned Prince after hearing his sister’s stories about the Agni Kai. She had come… why, then? He couldn’t understand why she’d have come by herself, with no orders from anyone else.</p>
<p>“Did Azula send you?” he questioned then, and Mai shook her head.</p>
<p>“No,” she answered.</p>
<p>As surprised as Zuko was to hear Mai really <em>hadn’t</em> been sent by Azula, he found he was actually… happy about this. It meant Mai had cared enough about <em>him</em> to come on her own. What he didn’t understand about <em>that</em>, then, was why he’d mean enough to her that she’d sneak out in the middle of the night to come and see him.</p>
<p>Well… if Azula had told the truth for once, then he supposed that he did know. It hadn’t ever seemed possible to him before, and he’d assumed that Azula was making up how Mai always blushed when she’d see him walk by. But having seen it once or twice himself, remembering the way Azula always tried to get him to come spend time with her whenever Mai was with her…</p>
<p>It was the only thing he could think of that would explain her coming to see him the night before he was meant to leave the Fire Nation for good.</p>
<p>No, not for good. Until he captured the Avatar.</p>
<p>That didn’t change the fact he wanted to know for sure if his suspicions- and by extension, Azula’s- were correct.</p>
<p>“Then why?” he asked her finally, after a moment or so of deliberation.</p>
<p>“Idiot,” she mumbled under her breath, but she blushed and looked away. It occurred to Zuko that it was very likely now that Azula had been right.</p>
<p>Still, her answer made him smile just a bit, despite the rather awful mood he’d been in ever since speaking up in his father’s war meeting. She thought she was rather obvious, then. She thought he <em>knew</em> why she was there- that, or he should.</p>
<p>His smile made Mai smile, and when he scooted over a bit, she managed to climb up to sit next to him.</p>
<p>There was something oddly peaceful, to both of the children, about sitting together in the silence that way. They sat for some time, and at some point, someone moved and took the hand of the other, and they had both turned bright red.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Good Morning (Day 2- Izumi)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1441</p>
<p>Description: Mai wakes Zuko in the middle of the night with news- Izumi is coming.</p>
<p>TW pregnancy and delivery</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Good Morning</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was early in the morning when Mai woke Zuko, almost more truly late at night than early in the morning. He was startled by the urgency in her voice, and woke with a start, looking up at her. “Mai?” he said, his voice rough from lack of use while he was sleeping. “What is it?”</p>
<p>“Zuko, we need the midwives,” she told him. Urgent as she sounded, the Fire Lady was still somehow calm. It didn’t surprise him that she could be both at once. “The baby’s coming.”</p>
<p>Zuko shot up in the bed, his eyes widening as he looked at her anxiously. “Like… <em>now</em>?” he asked her. She didn’t reply verbally, though she did give him a flat look. “Right, right…” he said, and nodded, blinking a few times. “Sorry, yeah, I’ll get them.”</p>
<p>The Fire Lord jumped out of bed, and quickly went out into the palace to find the midwives Mai had requested, almost in a panic. His heart was pounding in his chest as he realized their child was coming, and…</p>
<p>
  <em>Agni, the child was early.</em>
</p>
<p>This realization made Zuko feel even worse, panic even more, as he ran to find the midwives. It never occurred to him to send servants after them, to stay with his wife. But he did find them soon enough, and when he did, he was panting.</p>
<p>“Mai!” he managed to stammer out. “She’s- the baby! Come quick!”</p>
<p>They followed him back to the room he shared with his wife, and one of them tried to walk beside him, already beginning the process of calming the father.</p>
<p>“I am sure my lady will be perfectly fine, my lord,” she said, smiling a bit at Zuko. “She has always been very strong, yes? She’ll do well, and then in a few hours the two of you will have a little prince or princess!”</p>
<p>Zuko went pale, and he looked miserable. “I don’t even think I’m ready- I don’t think <em>Mai</em> is ready- we have so much we still had to do… Is this normal?”</p>
<p>“Yes, my lord,” the girl said. “Babies can come early, and do sometimes. They can come late, too. You’re both more ready than you realize, I’m sure. You were caught off guard by the baby coming so early, and even then, it’s natural for the father to feel anxious when he realizes the baby’s coming. But you have our word that we’ll take care of her majesty, and the baby.”</p>
<p>Zuko nodded a little, sighing. He paused only briefly, turning to the midwife who stopped with him. “I can’t lose either of them,” he confessed to her. “Please, make sure they both make it.”</p>
<p>He wasn’t a fool. He’d heard what happened to his grandmother. And even though Mai wasn’t descended from her, <em>he</em> was, and he wondered if that, somehow, would still complicate the birth for Mai. Perhaps his lineage, the lineage from Fire Lord Sozin, was the danger…</p>
<p><em>No.</em> He couldn’t afford to think like that. He’d only work himself up more, and that wasn’t what Mai needed.</p>
<p>When they reached the door to their room, the midwife he’d been talking to stepped in front of him. “Forgive me, my lord, but we don’t allow the father inside,” she told him. “We’ll keep you updated, though.” With that, she joined the other midwives inside, and shut the door on Zuko- and thus began the longest wait of his life.</p>
<p>The man paced back and forth in the hall, more stressed than he thought he’d ever been before. How could he be ready for such a thing as becoming a father?</p>
<p>It was quite a while before he had any sign of how things were progressing, and it wasn’t a sign he was happy to receive. Hours into Mai’s labor, he started to hear screaming. Zuko knew to expect to hear his baby scream and cry once born, but Mai? He knew her voice, and a shock of fear went through him. Having been so young when his mother gave birth to Azula, he couldn’t remember how she had screamed that day.</p>
<p>The Fire Lord immediately turned and went to the door, knocking and calling through, “Mai! Mai, are you alright?!”</p>
<p>She didn’t say she was, but instead, screamed, “Zuko! I’m going to kill you!” Zuko flinched back and his eyes widened as a midwife slipped out of the room. He could still hear his wife yelling, “You’re <em>dead</em> when this baby is out!”</p>
<p>He looked down at the midwife with evident fear in his eyes, and she smiled up at him. “Don’t worry, my lord,” she said. “This is completely normal.”</p>
<p>“Normal?” he gulped. “You mean death threats and this amount of pain is common?”</p>
<p>“Yes, my lord,” she answered with a curt nod. “She’s begun the delivery. It’s… usually a very painful experience for the mother, and during this process they can become enraged with the father, and death threats are… far less uncommon than one might expect.”</p>
<p>Zuko seemed to relax with this news, and he sighed, nodding. “Okay. Thank you.” With that, the midwife returned to Mai’s aid.</p>
<p>Another few hours Zuko waited, and he was <em>certain</em> it shouldn’t be taking this long. Something had to be wrong. All sound had gone silent in the room, and it unnerved him greatly. He was just about to knock, when he suddenly felt as if his world stopped. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart seemed to stop beating in his chest.</p>
<p>The soft cries of an infant.</p>
<p>He hadn’t even seen the baby before he suddenly felt tears pouring down his cheeks. His <em>child</em> was in there, with his wife, and… Oh, he was a father. His heart started to beat again, though somehow different than it had before. His lips spread into a wide grin, and he went to knock, to ask if he could come in and see his wife and child, but the midwife stepped out once more.</p>
<p>“The birth ran into some minor complications toward the end, but my lady and your child are both well,” she explained to him. The ‘minor complications’ must have explained the extra time the delivery took. Somehow, though of course that worried him, he didn’t quite register there had <em>been </em>complications when hearing that Mai and the baby were both doing well now.</p>
<p>“Can I see them?” he asked hastily, but she shook her head.</p>
<p>“We’ve got a little work to be done still, and then we’ll let you in,” she said. She went back into the room, and Zuko began to pace once again.</p>
<p>This time, he found he waited a far shorter time than he had earlier. The midwife finally opened the door, though this time she didn’t step out, interrupting him and gaining his attention immediately. She smiled at him, stepped out of the way, and gestured for him to follow her inside.</p>
<p>Nothing could have prepared Zuko for that moment, even hearing his child’s cries from outside the door. The first thing he saw was Mai, sitting up in the bed. The poor woman was covered in sweat, her hair clinging to her forehead. Strangely, even in this setting, he doubted she’d ever looked more beautiful- perhaps only on their wedding. But, she was still absolutely radiant just then.</p>
<p>His eyes fell to the small bundle of blankets she was holding in her arms, and his heart started to pound in his chest. That was no mere bundle of blankets, Zuko knew. In Mai’s arms was their child, and as he moved to sit beside his wife, he caught his first glimpse of the baby. The sun was beginning to filter in through the windows, and when he sat at Mai’s side, the baby’s eyes opened. They were a beautiful shade of gold, just the same as his.</p>
<p>“Isn’t she beautiful?” Mai said, and Zuko felt his heart melting.</p>
<p>“She?” he asked. He looked down at Mai, whose eyes met his, and she nodded a little.</p>
<p>“We have a little princess, Zu,” she told him softly. He laughed in disbelief, tears beginning to spill from his eyes once more.</p>
<p>“A princess,” he repeated. “So…?”</p>
<p>Mai nodded a little as she watched Zuko pull the blankets back from their daughter’s face, and the little girl lit up as she looked up to her father. “Izumi,” Mai said. “Just as we decided.”</p>
<p>“Izumi,” Zuko said again. He felt as if he was in a daze as he brushed his finger over her little cheek. Mai smiled as she watched her husband with their newborn daughter. Zuko grinned.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Izumi.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dead Serious (Day 3- AUs)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1452</p>
<p>Description: Mai and Zuko get the last piece of evidence they need, but she's hesitant to let him confront his serial killer father.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Dead Serious</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t difficult to get stumped on some cases, Zuko had found, but some cases were far more complicated than others. In fact, standing over the body now confused him more than when he’d stood over it at the crime scene. But that was usually the case for him, wasn’t it? On the crime scene, he sees the whole picture. The morgue takes this piece out, and makes it more confusing than when he can see the full puzzle.</p>
<p>However, there was <em>one</em> thing he really enjoyed about coming down to the morgue, and it was easily the woman who ran it, and did the autopsies and investigations on the victims. Her name was Mai, and he thought she might have been the smartest woman he’d ever met- really, maybe the smartest <em>person</em>. All that to say, Mai was really, <em>really</em> smart, and he could listen to her talk about cases all day. It seemed she always caught something he’d missed, and was excellent at helping him see even the bodies as another puzzle to be solved, which can then fit into the larger puzzle. Truly, Mai was amazing.</p>
<p>“Zuko.”</p>
<p>Her voice cut through his thoughts and made him look back up at her immediately, shooting her an embarrassed smile. “Sorry,” he said. “One more time?”</p>
<p>She sighed and shook her head giving him a rather unimpressed look. “Zuko, do you even realize what you’re up against?” she asked him. “You can’t make a move against this guy if you don’t know <em>exactly</em> what you’re up against. You’re already breaking protocol ten different ways, and <em>I’m </em>breaking it about twenty, to catch him. The case got turned over to higher officers. Why are you so intent on-”</p>
<p>“Mai. I have to do this,” he said. “This is my father’s work, I’m almost sure of it. There’s just one thing I needed to see.”</p>
<p>Mai sighed and nodded, knowing exactly what it was Zuko was looking for. And, as much as she wished it wasn’t there, if only to save Zuko from the dangers of confronting his father, she had already seen it. The incisions on the body that had all, once they’d done the damage necessary, been cauterized.</p>
<p>It hadn’t made sense to Mai, when the first body had been found. Why would a killer almost… <em>heal</em> their victim? Or had the cauterization been a poor attempt at saving the victim once the damage had been done? She wasn’t quite able to piece it together.</p>
<p>The second victim, things began to make more sense. The incisions were in the exact same place, cauterized just the same. So, the incisions were a method and… the cauterization was a signature. That was when she had told Zuko what they were up against. Eventually, his father, a man called Ozai, had become the primary suspect, and so Zuko had been pulled from the case.</p>
<p>But… through their time working together, Mai had found someone she got along with quite well. Their outlooks on life weren’t necessarily similar- hers was far more bleak than his- but somehow, they balanced each other out well. Their humor was well matched, and as they began to talk more and more about things unrelated to their work- especially when they would take their lunch breaks together- she came to a startling conclusion.</p>
<p>She loved Zuko.</p>
<p>There was no way Mai could tell if Zuko felt similarly at all, but if he did… The thought tended to bring a small smile to her face.</p>
<p>When Zuko came to her and begged her to help him keep working the case, even if not legally, she found she wasn’t able to tell him no. He had gathered enough evidence to prove it was his father, but what he <em>really</em> wanted… was a confession. He had explained his plan to Mai, and though she was reluctant, fearing Zuko could get in trouble, but at the end of their conversation she had agreed.</p>
<p>That led to Mai pulling the sheet back from the body, revealing the scars she had seen, and Zuko felt confident enough upon seeing this victim, another of the men his father had fought with to get to where he was now, had the same injuries… He decided that was good enough for him.</p>
<p>“This is it,” he said decisively. “Mai, you’re amazing. Thank you.” He turned around to walk for the door, but in an uncharacteristic manner for her, Mai stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Zuko’s wrist.</p>
<p>He froze, before turning back to her, looking down into her eyes. Usually, they were passive, hardened by the horrors she had seen in her work. But now they held more emotion than he’d ever seen in them, emotions he couldn’t quite pick apart. Though, the one that stood out most was an intense concern, bordering on fear.</p>
<p>“Be careful,” she warned quietly. “Please. If your father’s really behind all this…” And he did have her convinced. “You could be risking your life going to confront him.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Zuko replied, and he put a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped would be a comforting manner. “I’ll be careful, I promise. Azula’s going to be home when I go talk to him, so I don’t think he’ll risk anything with her there.”</p>
<p>“Aren’t they close? What if she takes his side?” Mai suggested.</p>
<p>Zuko shook his head. “I don’t think he wants her to know about any of this. That’s why I don’t think I’m in so much danger with her home. Really, I’ll be careful, I promise.”</p>
<p>Mai nodded a little, glancing down at their feet. “Okay,” she conceded, her voice softer than he was used to hearing it, less blunt and bored. This caused Zuko’s brows to crease, and he slid his hand down into hers</p>
<p>“Mai,” he said gently. She looked up to meet his eyes then, and he gave her a small smile. “I’ll come back as soon as I’m done, okay? I promise.”</p>
<p>Another nod from her, and she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. “You need to come back,” she told him sternly. “I don’t want to work with anyone else. I don’t…”</p>
<p>Zuko wrapped his arms around her and nodded a little, rubbing her back soothingly. “I know,” he said quietly. “And I will.”</p>
<p>He held Mai until she pulled away, though she didn’t look up at him still. Not until she felt Zuko’s hand under her chin, slowly tilting it up. It seemed she was already starting to lock herself away again, as he’d suspected for a long time she did.</p>
<p>Zuko couldn’t know this, Mai figured, but she was grateful he’d not made a big deal of the way she was acting. It wasn’t like her to lose her composure, but Zuko just took it in his stride. And he was being so <em>gentle</em> with her, too. He didn’t act surprised, clearly didn’t judge her, but instead he was caring for her in that moment.</p>
<p>Mai felt her heart beating hard as she watched him, and she took a breath to say his name. Her words weren’t finished before Zuko leaned in and kissed her.</p>
<p>She melted against him, understanding exactly why this was happening. For all his promising that he would survive this encounter with his father, he couldn’t guarantee anything. And without any form of guarantee, there was a lot he wanted to tell her, none of it anything he’d be able to put into words.</p>
<p>Zuko had been worried for so long that Mai didn’t feel the same way, but the way she’d responded to this latest threat… He couldn’t go without knowing. To his shock- good shock, of course- it seemed she did feel the same way for him. Perhaps, then, he was lucky enough to be one thing she didn’t hate.</p>
<p>He didn’t realize he’d said those final words aloud, but when Mai chuckled, he realized he must have.</p>
<p>“No, I don’t hate you,” she confirmed. “I actually kind of like you.” Zuko grinned, just before her tone turned threatening. “So don’t you dare not come back, Zuko. You’re usually supposed to kiss me <em>after</em> the date. So. You owe me a date now.” She poked his chest as she spoke, and he laughed lightly.</p>
<p>"I'll take you out to dinner. Or to a movie. Or whatever you want,” he offered, and she smiled softly.</p>
<p>“Anything will do. Go get him.”</p>
<p>Zuko nodded and kissed her once more, quickly this time, and he was gone. She watched him go with anxiety in her eyes, though for anyone who didn’t know her so well, she would still seem impassive. That couldn’t have been father from the truth.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. I'm Coming (Day 4- Redemption)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1408</p>
<p>Description: Mai catches Zuko leaving a letter in her room on the Day of the Black Sun.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>I’m Coming</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zuko’s heart was pounding as he read over the note he’d written one more time. He could only imagine how upset Mai would be when she read the note herself. She was probably going to hate him. Zuko swallowed thickly as he rolled the paper up tightly and tied a ribbon around it to hold it closed, deciding to get out of dodge as quickly as he could. He wouldn’t well be able to find the Avatar with a knife in his back, would he?</p>
<p>The Prince snuck into the room he knew belonged to his girlfriend, and laid the note on her bed. For a moment, he reconsidered, looking down at the little scroll lying there that was going to change both their lives forever.</p>
<p>Unbeknownst to him, however, Mai had quickly come back to grab something during the chaos outside, and she paused as she watched him set the scroll down, and stare at it thoughtfully. She tilted her head a bit in confusion, just… watching</p>
<p>Zuko only saw he’d been caught when he turned around, and Mai was standing there still. <em>Oh no.</em> His eyes widened immediately and his mouth dropped open, as he stammered out, “H-hey! Mai! I didn’t- I thought you’d still be-!”</p>
<p>“What’d you just leave on my bed, Zuko?” she interrupted, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. From the way he was acting, she didn’t figure it was something he wanted to be seen leaving.</p>
<p>“It’s- um… a letter.”</p>
<p>The last two words were mumbled, and his eyes fell. So, he was ashamed? Maybe not ashamed, but he did feel bad about whatever its contents were. What, then, were the contents?</p>
<p>Her eyes narrowed, and she pushed herself off the door frame, walking toward the note. “Wait there,” she told him, and reached for it.</p>
<p>“I- I really should be…” he tried.</p>
<p>Mai turned to look at him, frowning. “Why are you in such a hurry? Don’t want to be here when I read this?” she questioned. Zuko swallowed, but didn’t answer her. That was enough an answer in and of itself. Opening the letter answered <em>why</em> he wanted to be gone, just as easily.</p>
<p>
  <em>Dear Mai, I’m sorry you have to find out this way, but I’m leaving…</em>
</p>
<p>Her eyes closed and she swallowed hard, hands shaking. “Are you <em>kidding</em> me, Zuko?” she asked through gritted teeth. “I can’t even read the rest of this.”</p>
<p>Zuko felt his heart crack in his chest as he watched the way she was taking this. “Mai, I’m…” he started, but she held up a hand.</p>
<p>“Were you not even going to <em>talk</em> to me about this?” she asked him, her voice shaking slightly. “You were going to rip my heart out, and you didn’t even have the decency to <em>look me in the eye</em> when you did. You wouldn’t have even <em>talked</em> to me, except I caught you.” When her eyes finally opened and sought his out, he found them almost impossible to look into. They were betrayed, and revealed a brokenness in her that Zuko knew <em>he</em> had been responsible for.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I just- I can’t stay here, Mai. This isn’t <em>right</em>, what the Fire Nation is doing.”</p>
<p>“Just tell me,” she said, interrupting again. Mai held up the note, letting him know that was what she was asking about. “You’re leaving. Is this a break-up letter too?”</p>
<p>Zuko’s eyes fell, and Mai felt her heart drop into her stomach, even as it felt like her stomach was lifting into her throat. “Agni, I’m gonna be sick,” she muttered, and threw the letter onto the bed.</p>
<p>Following that, she sat down, and buried her face in her hands. Zuko started to move toward her, wanting to help her somehow, but she shook her head when she sensed him stepping in her direction. “Mai,” he said quietly. It shocked him to see tears streaming down her cheeks when she looked up at him. She wasn’t nearly so expressive as this, usually.</p>
<p>“Can I ask <em>why</em>?” she questioned. “I get why you can’t stay. I do. That much… I think I’ve seen it coming. But why…?”</p>
<p>Zuko sighed, and moved to sit near her, if he couldn’t sit next to her. “I’m going to help the Avatar,” he said. “As soon as I tell my father, I’m gonna be in… a <em>lot</em> of trouble. I can’t drag you into that, Mai, but I have to save my country.”</p>
<p>“You’re not <em>saving</em> your country, Zuko, you’re <em>betraying</em> it,” she pointed out. “And you’re betraying me, and…”</p>
<p>“And no one else,” he said. “You’re the only person here I really don’t want to leave. But you know, and I <em>know</em> you know, that my father isn’t doing right by anyone to do keep pursuing this war. He’s gotta be stopped, Mai.” He reached for her hand, and though she flinched under it, she didn’t pull her hand away. “You and I both know that.”</p>
<p>And truthfully… she did.</p>
<p>Mai <em>did</em> know that Ozai had to be stopped. But what power had she had to do anything to stop him? She loved his son, but that gave her no power over him, no power to change anything. And truthfully, his daughter was terrifying. She went along with whatever Azula said because what choice did she have there? Throughout her entire life, Mai had never had a choice. She did what was expected of her. What was expected of her now?</p>
<p>She knew she’d be expected to go straight to Ozai, take the letter to him- maybe even Zuko- and stop the Prince from leaving the Fire Nation. But… who could make her?</p>
<p>This situation was unlike the others Mai had been in. Before, she had been immediately accountable for doing the “wrong” thing, even if it was really the <em>right</em> thing. There had always been a danger to choosing what she <em>wanted</em> to do, instead of what she was <em>expected</em> to do. Even now, there was danger in choosing what she wanted. She should stay. Right? Pretend this talk had never happened when she was questioned. Mai should really just… stay right there, safely, in the Fire Nation.</p>
<p>“I’m coming with you.”</p>
<p>Zuko looked stunned when he heard those words. For a moment, they didn’t even feel real. She was… she wanted to come with him? No, knowing her, she didn’t just <em>want</em> to, she was <em>going</em> to. He knew there wasn’t any stopping her when she decided she was going to do something.</p>
<p>“Why?” he asked her in shock.</p>
<p>“Because, you’re my boyfriend, and I’m not letting you go alone,” she answered casually. “You may have missed this, Zuko, but I care about you. There’s no way I’m letting you go off and basically sign your own death sentence.”</p>
<p>Zuko chuckled a little, watching her in awe as she stood and started to pack a bag. “So you figured you’d sign yours too?” he questioned. She smirked at him and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Might as well, right?” she said. “I mean, think about it. If we stay here and lose, we’re dead. If we go and lose, we’re dead. If we win here, we’re fine, but miserable, or if we go and win, we’re happy. Don’t you think I’d rather risk my life for something <em>good</em> for once?”</p>
<p>Zuko smiled up at her, and nodded. “Me too.”</p>
<p>When Mai was finished packing the necessities, she tossed her sack over her shoulder, and turned back to Zuko with a decisive nod. “I’m ready,” she told him.</p>
<p>He stood and walked to her, putting a hand on her waist as he pulled her closer. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. “You know there’s no coming back once we go, right? We can’t turn around.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Mai assured Zuko. “I’m sure. You know how you said there’s no one else here it would hurt you to leave?” He nodded. “There’s no one else here who could hurt me by leaving. Even if I didn’t feel how you did about all of this… I wouldn’t let you out of here without me. It would be too boring.”</p>
<p>Zuko chuckled, and leaned down to kiss his girlfriend softly. His <em>girlfriend</em>. He certainly hadn’t imagined leaving a break-up letter to turn out like this, but… he somehow felt stronger with Mai at his side. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t so bad that he’d been caught, after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Return to Caldera City (Day 5- Reunions)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1375</p>
<p>Description: Mai returns to Zuko's side at the end of the war, and he asks for her help on his greatest task yet.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Return to Caldera City</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The look on Zuko’s face when he saw her again was one Mai would never forget. The way he’d lit up… He looked so full of joy, a look on him she hadn’t seen since they were kids- if even then. But everything they’d been through, even being locked up at the Boiling Rock- for the short time she and Ty Lee had been- became worth it when he smiled that way. And the way he’d said her name? She loved it.</p>
<p>The look on Mai’s face was something Zuko knew would stay in his mind for the rest of his life. He’d felt <em>so</em> relieved when she had spoken, when he turned and saw her there. Of course, he’d known he had the support of people like Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki… But that didn’t mean he felt any less alone. When he heard Mai’s voice, though… It was someone else from the Fire Nation, someone from <em>home</em> who had his back. Someone whose support he valued above anyone else’s.</p>
<p>Mai had helped Zuko get the underrobe to his ceremonial robes on then, and he’d held her, he’d kissed her, and… they were together once more. Neither of them could have been happier, they didn’t think. He rubbed her back affectionately as he held her, and she listened to his heart beating. They’d both made it, both survived the 100 Year War. It almost felt surreal, especially when it was considered that they had <em>won</em>, as well.</p>
<p>They spent the afternoon preparing him for his coronation, and quite a bit of it was spent in complete silence. What could they even think to say, in the aftermath of something like this? Eventually, Mai sat Zuko down, and she started to pull his hair up into the top knot it would need to be in for the crown of the Fire Lord to sit in it.</p>
<p>It wasn’t difficult to get his hair up into the top knot, wrap a piece of red ribbon around it to hold it up. Once his hair was up, Mai smiled, and patted his shoulder gently. “All ready,” she told him.</p>
<p>His hand came up to cover hers. Immediately, Mai noticed the troubled look on his face, and she moved to sit beside him. “What is it, Zu?” she asked him, her tone gentle.</p>
<p>“I’m not,” he replied. Zuko’s eyes dropped to the ground, though he still held her hand as if it were a lifeline. “I’m not ready, Mai. My father was the Fire Lord, and his father, and <em>his</em>, and none of them have been good. The last three generations, we’ve had War Lords instead. I don’t wanna turn out like them.”</p>
<p>Mai smiled at him understandingly, using her free hand to turn his face toward her. “You won’t,” she assured him. “Do you know how I know?” Zuko shook his head a little. “Because you aren’t like them now. Even before, when you were banished, when you joined your sister in Ba Sing Se… You weren’t driven by a want to take over the world. You weren’t driven by the same thing that drove your father.</p>
<p>“Zuko, you’ve always been driven by the need to have his love and acceptance. Children are <em>supposed</em> to have that from their parents. So the fact you wanted it from him, that you <em>needed</em> that from your <em>father</em>… That’s what drove you. Everything you did, you did in hopes to earn a place at his side. So yes, of course you joined her in Ba Sing Se. She had offered you everything you needed.”</p>
<p>“Sounds pretty bleak to me so far,” Zuko grumbled. “What if I decide that I do want that again? What if I realize I need it?”</p>
<p>Mai knew immediately what that question was coming from, <em>where</em> it was coming from. Zuko didn’t trust himself. She could understand why he might feel that way, but she knew him. She knew who he was, what he needed and wanted out of life.</p>
<p>“You won’t,” she said. “What you actually have now is so much more than the love of a father who, truthfully, isn’t worthy of <em>your</em> love, Zuko. You know that’s true, don’t you?” He nodded. “Then you know what you have. You may not ever have your father- even if you did everything he wanted until you died, even if he showed you everything you wanted from him. Even for Azula, you know his love was conditional. It was for you, too.</p>
<p>“But you know that now. You’ve changed from the boy who needed his father, to a man who could stand up to him, and do what was right even if you risked everything. <em>That’s</em> the sign of a good leader, Zu. I knew when I read that letter you had changed. All of this has been a long time coming for you, but we’re here. Take your father out of the picture, and you still have the Avatar and his friends, who all love you, and… so do I.”</p>
<p>That got Zuko’s attention far more intently than anything she’d said. “Mai,” he breathed, blinking a few times. “You…”</p>
<p>“Of course, idiot,” she told him affectionately. “I love you.” A grin lit up Zuko’s face as he leaned forward, suddenly taking her face between his hands and kissing her passionately. Mai let out a little gasp of surprise, before melting into it.</p>
<p>When Zuko pulled away, he was looking at her with the most brilliant smile, one unlike she’d ever seen on his face before. Yes, even brighter than when he saw she was alright. This earned a slightly bigger smile from her, as well.</p>
<p>“I love you too, Mai,” he said. “You’re right. I’ll be fine. But… I think I should have someone keeping a good watch on me.”</p>
<p>She reached out to give his hand a gentle squeeze. “If you’re so worried, I’m sure you could talk to the Avatar and he’ll help you-”</p>
<p>“No, I want it to be my Fire Lady.”</p>
<p>Mai froze at that, looking at him with widened eyes. “Your- your Fire Lady?” she asked, shaken in such a way that was uncommon for her. Zuko’s eyes widened as well, as it occurred to him what he had just said.</p>
<p>“I- I mean, not if you don’t want…” he stammered out. She shook her head, suddenly smiling again.</p>
<p>“No, I do,” she said. “I… I do.” He lit up, just as Mai grew more serious. “But I’m not saying yes to <em>that</em>.” Again, Zuko’s face fell. Agni, she was confusing. “You have to actually ask. I’m not saying yes to a suggestion.”</p>
<p>At this revelation, Zuko made a face of understanding, before nodding. He took her hands in his, looked directly in her eyes. “Mai,” he said. “I need someone at my side through all of this. I can’t think of anyone else who I’d rather have there. A Fire Lord is supposed to seek council with his Fire Lady above all. So, um, I know we’ve been separated through a lot, but I trust you anyway.” Mai fought back a smirk as his eloquent words turned awkward the closer he got to the question. “I want to turn to you when I need advice, and I will anyway, because… You know, you’re smart, and you’re good at this, and… I guess what I’m trying to ask is, will you be my Fire Lady?”</p>
<p>Mai smirked at him then. “Did you practice that?” she teased him. But, she wouldn’t make him wait any longer for an answer, not wanting to be overly cruel. “Yes, I will.”</p>
<p>Zuko beamed and leaned forward to kiss her, and though she allowed it for a moment, she quickly broke away. “You’re going to be late for your coronation.”</p>
<p>His lips quirked up into a smirk. “Already keeping after me?” he asked, and she chuckled.</p>
<p>“Of course,” she said. “I always have been. Now <em>go</em>.”</p>
<p>That evening, as Zuko was crowned, Mai stood at the front of the crowd with the Avatar and his friends. She watched on with pride, a deep warmth spreading in her chest, and knew for a fact:</p>
<p>The future of the Four Nations was bright in Zuko’s hands.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Rise with the Sun (Day 6- Dawn)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1360</p>
<p>Description: Mai is waiting on Zuko, and as the dawn comes, he joins her for good.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Rise with the Sun</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zuko had been growing weaker through the past weeks. Everyone knew it, and his family and friends had all been called to the Fire Nation. All those who had known and loved him had been asked to come see him. Of course, no one had said no, and they’d all gathered around him that last night.</p>
<p>The old man smiled as he looked at his close friends who had gathered around him- Katara, Toph, Ty Lee… The Avatar and her team. His family had come as well, Izumi and all her children, even Azula. They had reconciled in the later years of their lives, and he was surprisingly thrilled to have her home. And, as Izumi was already Fire Lord, Azula let it go. She left the throne to her niece, to Zuko’s lineage, and finally moved on with her life. It was a little late, but that reconciliation had been one of the last things Zuko wanted to see happen before his time came.</p>
<p>But now, surrounded by his friends and family as they talked, trying to keep things light and casual as they knew what was coming, it was Toph who fell silent first. Everyone looked to her as she stopped talking, and Zuko watched her, knowing what was quieting her. “Toph?” he prompted, his voice weak now.</p>
<p>“Hey, hot-head,” she said quietly. The earthbender’s voice cracked, which was quite unlike her, and they all knew it. Zuko gave her a small smile, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. Izumi, from her place at her father’s side, blinked a few times, and tears started to fall from her cheeks.</p>
<p>“I’m going, aren’t I?” he asked. Toph nodded.</p>
<p>“How do you know that?” Izumi asked immediately. “How do you know he’s going? He’s still talking to us, isn’t he?”</p>
<p>Toph nodded again, but still added, “His heart’s getting weaker, though. His heartbeat.”</p>
<p>Izumi felt her heart break a little more, and she took Zuko’s hand, holding it tightly.</p>
<p>“It’s alright,” he told her. “Don’t worry, turtleduck. I’m going to be okay. I’m going to see your mom again, you know that?” Izumi nodded, and Agni, she suddenly felt so small. She felt like a kid again, like losing her father was the worst thing she could imagine. And at the moment, it was. It was <em>happening</em>, and it felt so much worse because of that. Everything felt so much worse when it was actually happening.</p>
<p>“I don’t want you to go, though,” she said quietly. Iroh moved up behind her, and put a hand on his mother’s shoulder. He could vaguely see Asami put her arm around Korra’s shoulders, who turned and held onto the other girl tightly. Mako put his arms around them both protectively, Bolin’s hand on his arm. Ty Lee hugged Azula around the middle, who was trying to act like she was fine. But he knew his sister too well at this point. She was far from okay. Even so, though, she did put her arm around Ty Lee’s shoulders, and Katara put her hand in Toph’s.</p>
<p>“It’ll be alright,” the waterbender spoke up. She turned to look at Toph, and told the group, “Some friendships last more than one lifetime.” That was when Toph finally let go of the strength she was trying to hold onto, and she leaned into Katara. Ty Lee reached out to Katara, and Katara took her hand. She shared a small, sad smile with Azula.</p>
<p>As Zuko looked around the room, he smiled. Strangely enough, it was entirely genuine. When he looked around, he saw something very clearly. He wasn’t leaving <em>one person</em> alone. They all had each other, would all care for each other and help each other through this. And, really, he would be going to make one woman a little less alone. He couldn’t find it in himself to mourn the loss of his own life. Right at his last moment, he blinked once, and he suddenly saw his friends and family all at younger ages, as they were at their prime, and he supposed… Maybe his life had just flashed before his eyes. Maybe, it was in front of them all along.</p>
<p>Toph froze at the same moment he did, and then she turned and buried her face in Katara’s shoulder. The feeling of wet tears on her shirt told Katara all she needed to know, and the sudden worsening of Izumi’s cries, the way Iroh sat beside her and pulled his mother into his arms, solidified it. The old Fire Lord’s heart had given out. She looked out the window, and the saw the sun beginning to rise. A small smile formed on her lips.</p>
<p>Zuko saw that sunrise, and he watched it with a smile. The room was suddenly empty, and the sunrise was the most brilliant he had ever seen. He leaned against a railing, on a balcony, and when he heard <em>her</em> voice, he lit up the same way he had almost ninety years ago.</p>
<p>“Hey, looks like you finally made it.”</p>
<p>And, just like ninety years ago, he turned and called out her name. “Mai!”</p>
<p>His wife looked just as beautiful as he remembered her, and she appeared as she had at the height of her life. Her hair was done the way he remembered, in two buns on top, one in the back, two locks falling over her shoulders.</p>
<p>“Hi, Zu,” she said softly. They rushed to each other, and his bones didn’t ache at the speed with which he walked. When he hugged her, it was tight, and he felt like he might collapse in her arms.</p>
<p>“I missed you,” he whispered. “So much more than I could have imagined.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t,” she said. “I never really left you, though.”</p>
<p>What Zuko hadn’t known, was Mai had <em>refused</em> to go on to the Spirit World until he was going with her. She had walked at his side everywhere he went, stayed with him through everything, and had only gone on when he had started to go himself. The one thing she wouldn’t watch was him dying. Why put herself through that when she’d have him at her side just a few moments later? There was no need.</p>
<p>"You didn’t?” Zuko questioned, his eyes widening as he pulled back to look at her. She shook her head and smiled softly at him.</p>
<p>“Of course not. You’d have been a disaster if I left you. Didn’t you ever think it was strange you didn’t lose your impulse control?” She smirked up at him, the same teasing smirk he remembered so clearly in his mind, and he laughed.</p>
<p>"I should have known you were up to something,” he teased back, and leaned in to brush the tip of his nose against hers. Mai reached up to cup the back of his head. “Agni, I love you so much, Mai.”</p>
<p>“I love you too, Zuko,” she replied easily.</p>
<p>Zuko turned to look over his shoulder, at the tall light that marked the gateway to the Mortal World, and he frowned. Mai noticed this, but before she could even ask, he was telling her what he was worried about. “They will be okay, won’t they?” he asked, his voice quiet. “I felt like they would be before I went, but…”</p>
<p>“They will,” Mai said. “And before you know it, we’ll all be together again. Oh- that actually reminds me. There’s someone else who wants to see you.”</p>
<p>Zuko looked at Mai curiously, and she took his hand, leading him out of the room and outside the house they’d been in. He couldn’t help but note how <em>vibrant</em> all the colors were, and it brought a smile to his face. The smile grew even more at Mai’s ‘surprise’ for him, and the surprise lit up in a grin from where he was standing.</p>
<p>“Aang!” Zuko gasped. Aang grinned and walked toward him, and Zuko went to greet him as well. The two old friends embraced, and a Fire Lady watched as Fire Lord and Avatar were reunited once again, and all felt right as the sun rose in a new dawn.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Your Love Redeems Me (Day 7- Masks/Free Day)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Word Count: 1558</p>
<p>Description: Mai takes a walk in the night, and soon runs into a masked figure known as the Blue Spirit.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Your Love Redeems Me</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t often that Mai would find she couldn’t sleep, but when she couldn’t, she would sneak out. Walking through the empty streets of the Capital, though it could be boring, was quiet, and peaceful, and it gave her time to think things through. She always carried her knives on her in case she had to protect herself, of course, but as it stood, she’d never had to use them before.</p>
<p>Tonight was different.</p>
<p>Mai found herself chasing down a man she’d just seen come out of a store with a loaded bag- clearly a thief of some kind. Unfortunately, middle of the night as it was, there wasn’t much nearby to be found in the way of help. Even if she’d have to explain why she was there, she decided she’d rather do the right thing and stop the man.</p>
<p>She tried first to give him a warning, tell him to stop running. He hadn’t listened to her, and instead kept running. It was almost as if he was running from something else entirely. Mai did glance around herself, just to be sure there were no guards or officers nearby who could handle this for her, but she saw that she and the other person were entirely alone.</p>
<p>Eventually, Mai chased the man into an alley, one that would cut through to another street, but she hoped they might be able to run into someone. Who, or perhaps what, they ran into, was nothing she could have expected.</p>
<p>Someone suddenly dropped down from the roof beside her, and she froze along with the thief. <em>How had that person been so silent?</em> Mai wondered. Part of her feared it <em>wasn’t</em> a person at all, but a spirit, and if that were so… Well, her job would be easier, but she might just never sleep again.</p>
<p>The thief turned back toward her as if to make a break for it, and she quickly whipped out her knives, throwing them and catching the man against a wall. As well as he’d be held down, there was no escape for him until he was found, she knew. The bag of stolen goods had been dropped at his feet. All he could do was wait to be released. So, she smirked. “You’ll just have to wait on the next guard to come through,” she told the thief, clearly feeling a bit proud of herself. She turned to nod at the figure standing there, dressed all in black aside from the blue and white detailing on the mask, acknowledging its presence and silently thanking it for helping her catch the thief.</p>
<p>Mai turned then to go, but as she did, the figure followed her. She took a few strange turns, to ensure it wouldn’t follow her home, but she soon realized it wasn’t leaving her alone. It was then that she whipped around, knives ready as she glared at the thing. “What do you want?” she snapped. The figure didn’t flinch when she turned, didn’t look at her knives, and in fact stayed almost unnervingly calm. All it did was reach out to her, the palm of its hand up, and wait.</p>
<p>An invitation, then? It wanted her to go with it somewhere. Mai regarded it warily, but if she knew anything about spirits, it was that you <em>never</em> told one no. So, however reluctant she was, she sheathed her knives, and put her hand in that of the figure’s. Immediately, it turned, not letting go of her, and started toward the main palace.</p>
<p>The first thing she noticed was how warm the figure’s hand was, and how <em>solid</em>, too. As she watched the figure walk, she was starting to think it may not have been a spirit at all, but a person in a costume. That was more concerning for her safety, she thought, and she hoped that she’d be able to protect herself.</p>
<p>Something about this person seemed familiar to her though, somehow, and her eyes narrowed as she watched his gait, and readjusted her hand slightly to see how his hand felt in hers. Yes, that felt suspiciously familiar, too…</p>
<p>Could she know whoever was behind the mask? What were the odds that this could be someone she had met before, and even still… The odds of this being someone she’d have been <em>that</em> comfortable with were low. The more Mai thought, the more confused she felt.</p>
<p>The person soon brought Mai to the palace, and then began to take her down into the catacombs beneath it, where she’d heard scores of information were kept. Once down there, the figure took a torch, and lit it with a quick act of firebending. Seeing she was in the company of a bender did nothing for her confusion at the strange turn of events.</p>
<p>He led her through the dark, down twisting paths and unlit places, until they came to a dead end, one that was covered with shelves, and each shelf packed full of scrolls. The torch was put in a holder on the wall, and he finally turned back to face her, releasing her hand as he did so.</p>
<p>The first thing Mai did was demand, “Who are you?” The person tilted his head a bit, as if he were confused about something. She narrowed her eyes sharply. “What? You think you get to act confused or something? I’m the one who’s not being given any explanations. Your next question is going to be why you brought me down here, and if you don’t start answering, I’m leaving. So… I’d suggest you start talking.”</p>
<p>Whoever was in the mask didn’t speak, but turned around, and started to walk toward the shelves behind him. Mai frowned deeply at that. “Hey!” she shouted. The girl started to follow him, anger radiating off of her. “Didn’t you hear me? What’s your problem?” She grabbed the person by the shoulder and flipped him back around, shoving him up against the shelves behind him, and she could literally <em>see</em> the way his breath must have caught in his throat, his chest freezing as she heard a gasp.</p>
<p>Wait… why did he sound so familiar?</p>
<p>Mai looked up at the mask, and suddenly she realized why this person felt so familiar to her. As soon as she saw his eyes, she knew. Her hands lifted to pull the mask away, and the hood beneath it. Thick black hair fell out and down around the person’s face- hair that she was well acquainted with- all around the scar that marked him as the Fire Prince. And… her boyfriend.</p>
<p>“Zuko, what is this?” she asked him, giving a small shake of her head. “What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t expect you to be out,” he confessed, sighing and taking the mask from her. He turned and sat it on a table as she watched him.</p>
<p>“So you decided to bring me here… why?” Her tone wasn’t judging at all, more so curious about his intentions. “Why do you wear all that? What were you doing?”</p>
<p>Another sigh, and he finally turned back to face her. “I put that on and go out when I can’t sleep,” he confessed. “And I found something out earlier that’s really got me messed up.” Mai nodded understandingly, trying to prompt him to keep going. Fortunately, he’d always been pretty blunt about things. “My mother’s grandfather was Avatar Roku.”</p>
<p>That certainly earned a reaction from Mai, and her eyes widened at the information. “Avatar Roku?” she repeated. “And your father’s would have been Fire Lord Sozin. Weren’t they really close? What’s the problem?”</p>
<p>“The problem is they fell apart,” he said. “That’s why I’m always so upset. It’s like… you remember how angry I was at the beach? I couldn’t figure out what I wanted, still can’t. I know some things for sure I want, but I feel like… I feel like the bigger picture, I’m constantly fighting myself over everything. I’m gonna have to make a huge decision soon, and I don’t even know what I’m gonna do! And the worst part is there’s no one who could understand what I’m up against, what I’m trying to decide, because <em>no one else</em> has this same problem. Azula, maybe, but she doesn’t know we’re descendants of Roku <em>and</em> Sozin, not just Sozin.”</p>
<p>Mai nodded along as she listened to his plight. “I don’t guess you’d want to share what’s bothering you?” she offered. “Maybe I can help…”</p>
<p>“No,” he said. “It’s not you, though. There’s no one I can think of who can help me with this. My uncle, maybe, but in the end it’s all gonna come down to me. And how am I gonna know what the right decision is?”</p>
<p>"I think you just… will,” Mai commented. “Do what you feel is the right thing, whatever this mystery decision is. I believe in you, Zu.”</p>
<p>Zuko smiled at her a little then, and took Mai’s hands in his. “Sometimes I don’t think I’d know what to do without you,” he confessed softly. She chuckled at him.</p>
<p>“Then you have your answer?”</p>
<p>“Definitely not,” he replied. “But… I think I trust myself on it more. Even if just because you trust me.” Mai smiled up at Zuko softly, and he leaned down to kiss her gently. “You always know what to say.”</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t know what it is you’re struggling with, but… you know you’re good here, right?” she asked him then. He sighed, clearly not sure about that. “Zuko, you have your honor back. Maybe you didn’t bring home the Avatar, but you still defeated him. You’re redeemed now.”</p>
<p>Zuko shook his head at that. “No, that’s not what redeemed me, Mai,” he told her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, even as she looked at him with confusion in her eyes.</p>
<p>"Then what is?” she questioned. A smile formed on Zuko’s lips, and he answered her:</p>
<p>“You.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, this is the end, I'm afraid! I thoroughly enjoyed writing every one of these little short stories, and I'm so sad that the week is over! I hope those of you who read my contributions really enjoyed them, and I wanna thank you all for the super kind comments I've been receiving throughout the week. I feel like this has experience has sort of helped me get back into writing, and I can't wait to continue working on some of my other projects I've started! I hope you all enjoyed this week, and thank you for celebrating Maiko with me &lt;3 It's been a blast!</p>
<p>All my love,<br/>ineffablebureaucracy</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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